Work on Kabul airport taxiway launched

KABUL (PAN): Construction work on a Japan-funded international-standard taxiway at the Kabul airport, a $27 million (1350 million afs) project, was launched on Tuesday, officials said.

Minister of Transport and Aviation Dawood Ali Najafi said the taxiway would be completed in one year to International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards.

Speaking to reporters at the inaugural ceremony, he said the taxiway would be 44 meters wide and 5.4 kilometers long. The current taxiway does not meet international standards.

Reiichiro Takahashi, the Japanese ambassador to Afghanistan, said they wanted to fund the project, as the airport needed an international-standard taxiway.

Japan would announce long-term assistance Afghanistan at the Tokyo International Conference, he promised. Scheduled for July 8, the conference will discuss international cooperation with Afghanistan from 2015 to 2025.

According to the ambassador, Japan has provided $4 billion in aid, including $96 million for the transport and aviation sector, to Afghanistan over the past 10 years.